GraLu Week 2014
by Analytical
Summary: GraLu Week 2014! Seven prompts over seven days!
1. Cold

The ice cream was cold.

This wasn't much of a surprise, considering that it was, in fact, ice cream, but the shop was overly air conditioned, Lucy was already shivering, and she could not choke this down.

She stared at the offending dessert. The best friend she had had her eye on for a long time was finally sitting with her alone-on a date no less- but she was just looking at an impossible to eat dish of ice cream. There was little chance that anything would happen when she was like this.

He made a remark about her light summer clothing, mentioning that she must be freezing, but all she did was shrug.

He leaned forward and handed her his sweatshirt, which she put on gratefully.

It smelled like him, of course. She inhaled the scent in the way most people smelled their boyfriend's clothes, breathing as though she had finally found home.

He noticed, of course. Nothing escaped him. A wink followed, nothing more. Not a single questioning eyebrow or mocking word.

She nodded her thanks to Gray, and he nodded a welcome, than glanced at her nearly untouched bowl.

She blushed, making the excuse of, not being hungry, or in the mood.

He asked if she was worried about weight gain, and she quickly shook her head. Her figure was fine.

Then Gray hit upon the problem, wondering if it was simply to cold for her.

Never one to lie about such trivial things, she said yes, a tad bashfully.

He blamed the air conditioning and early autumn chill, but there was little he could do about it. The sweatshirt had already been handed to her, and there was no such thing as ice cream that tasted good while warm.

Gray told her that he had wanted this to be perfect, not wanted to make his date cold and give her food she couldn't eat. He took her hand and they walked out of the store, only stopping to throw out the uneaten desserts.

He then, predictably so, bought her a hot chocolate and himself a coffee. They sat down and enjoyed these while sitting on a park bench, which overlooked a lake. She still had his sweatshirt, and he was impervious to the cold.

Leaning in close to him, she told him that it had been perfect, and she was grateful.

Gray told her that was great, and pulled her in close to him.

They talked for a long time about nothing in particular, daring the sun to set before they were finished.

When darkness finally fell, he told her they should head home.

She agreed, and they walked to her apartment. He turned to leave, but she tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to stay the night. Not as her date, but the way that he had countless times before, as her best friend.

Gray told her that he was still her best friend, would always be her best friend, but that everything was different now, and he didn't want anyone thinking poorly of her. He kissed her softly before he left.

Lucy brought her fingers to her lips, not feeling rejected at all. He understood what people were like and was doing his best to help her, as he always had.

She went to bed, his sweatshirt still enveloping her body and warming her tired soul.


	2. Night

"What's your favorite thing to do at night?"

The question came hard and fast as Gray snapped out of his reverie, startling Lucy put of her own daydreams.

"Um.. Sleep?"

It was an uncertain answer, because she wasn't sure what the question was asking.

"I meant to ask, what do you like to do right after the sun sets. In that little window of time when you feel like you're free to do anything. What do you do around then?"

"I don't know about that particular feeling of freedom, but I love looking at the city at night. It's a different place than what it is during the day. The world changes, and you can see it. It also helps that the lights are beautiful."

Gray takes a second to think about what she has said, staring intently at Lucy.

"Where are your favorite places to go?"

"I'll buy an iced tea at the shop we had our first date in, stop in the bookshop to say hello to everyone, then I'll go wherever the wind takes me. Maybe I'll try on clothes for fun, or buy some sushi. Sitting on the bridge is always rewarding, and watching the people is amazing."

This sets him thinking even longer.

"You're quite the people person, you know that Luce?"

She laughed at him and rewarded this statement with a quick kiss on the temple.

"We can't all hide ourselves away. Come with me next time I go out."

"My idea of a fun time is somewhat different."

Even though she's sitting on the step above him, he's at eye level with her when he straightens up, probably because she leaning down to talk to him.

"And what is your idea of a good time?"

"Sitting on my roof with a thermos of coffee and a book. You should come with me next time I do it."

He whispers the second sentence directly into Lucy's ear, but she refuses to shiver at this.

Instead she wrinkles her nose at him.

"I suppose we do like slightly differing things."

"Except for each other."

"Except that."

Lucy ruffles Gray's hair and he kisses her cheek in response. She leans forward and tries to get him back, but he turns towards her and she ends up actually kissing him.

He smirks at her and she sticks out her tongue.


	3. Fear

When Gray was hit by the car, Lucy became almost as comatose as he did. She barely spoke, ate, or slept, and it was nearly impossible to get her away from his bedside.

Her world had come apart, she told everyone, when she thought she had lost him.

Pushing yourself past the breaking point, everyone told her, will do nothing to help him.

She wanted to be there though, if he woke up. She wanted to see him open his eyes and tell him that he was terrible for pushing her out of the street and taking her place in the hospital bed.

The hospital was doing its best, but Gray wasn't even twitching. Medical bills don't pay themselves, and it was a matter if time before someone suggested that they pull the plug.

She was scared. Of course she was scared. How could she lose him? After all that they had been through, this was it? They would never get married or start a family?

A small portion of Lucy knew that there was no moving on. Once he was gone, she would always be broken up inside.

She could feel it now, the little shards in her stomach. It was as though she had swallowed shattered glass.

Needless to say, it hurt.

Kneeling by his bedside, she begged for his return.

"Gray, please. Please come back. I miss you."

Nothing.

Her shoulders slumped, and she cried for the thousandth time that week.

"I- I can't do it Gray. Not without you. You're most of what I am."

She held his hand tightly, as if she could transfer some of her life force to him.

"Don't leave me. Please, don't leave me." she sobbed.

He didn't wake up then, but three days later. His motor skills were greatly impaired, he forgot a lot of things easily, and he had a hard time speaking, but he was back.

"Hey princess," he had greeted Lucy, throwing in one of his trademark smirks.

"You're the sleeping beauty," she replied, then burst into tears.

"Why? Why did you have to do that?" Lucy bawled.

Gray looked at her, a little bemused, "I'm too selfish to ever lose you," he explained as though it was obvious. "It's my job to protect my princess."

Lucy held Gray tightly and resolved to do a better job protecting her prince.


	4. Separation and Reconnect

You don't even remember which month or the date of they day, but you recall that at six o'clock in the morning, just before the sun rose on a Friday, there was a knock on the door.

You had opened it to find a woman slightly younger than you standing on your doorstep, which you suppose is to be expected, considering that she had just been banging on your door.

You can see the blush that spread across her face, and you know exactly which pair of boxers you had worn that night, which coincidentally was all you were wearing when you opened that door.

Though you were normally very alert and somewhat of a man of action, you had a little trouble figuring out how to handle her.

"Can I help you?" was the response you finally settled on, though it may have been worded differently. Some of the details are stamped in your brain, some of them have been deemed inconsequential and irrelevant.

"You're, um, Gray Fullbuster, right?" she had ventured, perplexing you all the more.

"Depends on who is asking," you answered with that trademark smirk, and her chocolate brown eyes had widened before taking on a determined look.

"Lucy Heartfilia," she stuck out a hand that you shook. Her hand had been tiny, and your sizable one almost swallowed it entirely.

"That doesn't explain why you showed up at my house, absurdly early in the morning, and forcing me to get up and answer the door," you had pointed out. It was too early to worry about hurting anyone's feelings.

Lucy bit her lip, the opened and closed her mouth a few times, not sure where to start.

"Come in," you jerk your head towards the inside of your house. I'll make tea, and we can talk, okay?

She blushed even brighter, then nodded and followed you inside.

It was silent as you brewed the tea. Lucy did not offer why she was here, and you dared not ask.

You both say down across from each other at your kitchen counter. You had pulled on a sweatshirt and pair of pants, and you had both been ready for a true heart to heart talk.

"You saved a girl's life, five years ago. She was thrown into a lake, and you pulled her out." Lucy finally began.

You put your mug down and gave Lucy a prying stare.

"And you're telling me that's you?" You still didn't understand why would she come and find you. It can't have been easy. You had tried to stay out of her life after that happened, host knows why.

"Yes." She continued to calmly sip the tea, and though she had seemed embarrassed before, she was not fazed now.

"So are you here to say thanks or something?"

"I suppose so. I mean, I'm pretty happy that I'm alive. The main reason I'm here, is just to meet you. Seeing as how I owe you my life." She shrugged and returned your stare.

"Your wondering why I never checked to see how things turned out for you. Why I left my name with the hospital and ran out." You had filled in those blanks for her, letting Lucy know that you knew exactly what was going on.

"That is one thing I am interested in as well," she conceded.

"I'm sure the answer is interesting, but it's buried somewhere in my subconscious."

Lucy raised both eyebrows and set her mug down next to yours.

"From the looks of it, you were fine without me, and I have plenty of time to get to know you now," you had offered lamely.

She rolled her eyes and gave a small laugh, which had caught you by surprise and is perhaps the event with the most detail in your memory. Lucy then looked you straight in the eyes, and said two words that started on of the most bizarre relationships ever.

"I accept."


	5. Fairy Dust

When Gray walked into the spice shop, he was looking for some cinnamon and nothing else.

He did not expect to find a bottle, barely three inches tall, smooth, round, and made of glass that was a deep eggplant color, a lavender piece of card stock attached with the use of a black satin ribbon, and emblazoned with a meticulous silver script that clearly labeled it to be "Fairy Dust."

Despite these plans, this was precisely what caught his eye, and, curiosity piqued, he was forced to ask someone what "Fairy Dust" actually was.

The bubbly and energetic store owner explained that it was a powder you could use to spice your food, and it was filled with "happy thoughts."

"It's quite popular," she assured him.

No what, he had wondered, would constitute as filling someone with a happy thought.

When asked this, she'd smiled and explained the whole process to him. How she mixed up the secret formula, them let the jars gather in good times at family dinners in her house. That she'd taken some to weddings and others had sat on her mantelpiece through countless holidays.

"They've soaked up the feeling of family," he asked her, eyebrow cocked.

"What's happier than that?" she leaned in close, "You aren't one of those people who have issues with families because yours is nonexistent, are you?"

"Um..."

"Oh, you totally are! I'm sorry for whatever happened to them!"

Gray just shrugged and looked at the spice in his hand.

She grabbed his hand and shook it, "I'm Lucy Heartfillia. My bio family is entirely dead, but my friends are still family. You should come to at least a few of our dinners. I want to give you a chance at a some good times."

Gray was amazed that she was so up front about the whole dead family thing she had apparently gone through and pushed past.

"Er... Gray Fullbuster, and I suppose I can make one of those. It isn't as though I have anything else going on in my life."

"Aw geez, you don't have any good friends either?" Lucy hugged him tightly, then pulled away and took his hand hostage for the second time within this conversation.

"Tell toy what Mr. Gray, From now on, my friends and I are taking care of you, and I promise I'll fill you with good thoughts!"

Which is about the most bizarre way Gray has ever been welcomed into someone's life. Though it was, of course, the first time.


	6. Destiny

You must find the girl, bring her back go us. Together, you will harness the power of the stars and the chill, saving us from this fiery fate.

It is your destiny.

The words, obviously echoed throughout Gray's skull, reminding him of his "quest."

Destiny this, destiny that, destiny destiny destiny! People only ever did things because that was what the universe had already decided. It wasn't that someone had chosen to good.

Already, Gray hated this girl he needed to find in order to save his people. Why, he wanted to know, did he need her? He has been set to go and fix everything, but then the nosy elders had stuck their nose in it and told him he couldn't.

He was a talented ice mage, but he couldn't just cool down the world that was steadily increasing it's temperature.

Well, he didn't like the girl, even though she might help him save everyone, and this whole mess wasn't her fault, he couldn't help but feel as though she was holding him back.

Stupid celestial enchantress. Why did he need her?

So he slogged through enemy territory, until he came upon her gigantic castle, labeled nicely on the map that the elders provided. She was one of those magicians, who lived in a looming and cold stone house. The witch was probably incredibly dramatic and full of herself and whatever powers celestial magic entailed.

He took out the prophecy that had also been wonderfully provided for him and have it another look.

"Save the world from solar flares or global warming- whatever the fiery fate is, later on they'll unite some warring people or something, then they will share the all powerful bond of love and have some stellar children,"

Huh.

Apparently, he didn't hate this girl, but he wasn't going to tell her that particular part of their fate.


	7. Five Senses

Gray walked into the room where Natsu was watching television.

"What's on?"

"Re-run of one of those shows made for young kids." he answered offhandedly.

"So why are you watching it if it's for five year olds?"

"Found it on one of our old VHS tapes,"

Gray almost turned tail and ran out if the room when he realized what that meant, but he swallowed and sat down next to her.

"So it's one of Lu's?"

"Yeah."

"Which episode?"

"Do you see? I have brown eyes, a pink shirt, and a blue skirt!" the woman on the screen chirped out.

She looked just as beautiful as all of the photographs hanging around the house. Gray's breath caught.

"Five senses," Natsu said, tilting his head towards the television.

"Do you hear my voice? I can sound LOUD! I can sound quiet,"

Gray's mouth made a hissing noise as air slowly escaped.

Her voice was so peppy and full of life.

"My skirt is rough, my shirt smooth, and my hair soft!"

Her hair had felt amazing. Stroking it had been the best.

"What about smell, hmm?" Lucy pondered. "I have a friend who always smells like peppermint! You all can even meet him!"

Gray was on the screen too.

"You okay man?" Natsu asked him.

"Fine" Gray answered, teeth gritted and hands shaking.

"This is my friend Gray, and he smells like peppermint! What do I smell like?"

He remembered that. He remembered leaning over and inhaling before telling her that she always smelled like lemon juice, even though she was really sweet.

"Taste is one of my favorite senses!" she was moving on again, pulling out peppermints and lemon slices that they were to share.

"These are sour! These are sweet!"

He used to give her peppermints all of the time, because she joked that they helped keep her from missing him. They were supposed to taste the way he did.

He could eat thirty lemons and it wouldn't do a thing for him.

"So why did you never ask her?" Natsu pointed to the ring hanging from a chain.

"Thought I had more time," he answered.

"Well you were wrong about that, ice princess" he spat out sardonically.

"Guess I was flame brain, because now she's gone forever" Gray sighed and closed his eyes.


End file.
